TMT 2012 #6 with Laura

1. Robin wants to know what you ideal number of dogs is?

I have six on the place right now and that is my absolute max. One of those is my youngest daughter's dog that we are keeping until she gets out of college (just got her, as my daughter has to move out of the place where she could keep a dog). One other dog is our Pyrenees, Sonya, and she is must have, as she is my "compound guard dog". She keeps the varmints away from the critters we keep around the house. We have two 20 acre traps, and we kid out there. Plus I have chickens, so Sonya's presence keeps foxes, coons, and possums away. Last year she killed 7 possums and 2 coons that came too close. Right now we have 60 head of nannies in the traps in the midst of kidding, so she keeps the bobcats, foxes, and coyotes away while the kids are young. When they can travel good and keep up with mom and the herd they will get turned back out in the pasture. So that's two dogs!! The other four are Border Collies, and that is my max for training/working. Tate has had a very busy spring helping move goats and sheep around and I couldn't do that job without him. He's good with the baby kids and listens so well and is "soft" with the nannies. The other 3 BCs are young and in training, but I'm looking forward to when they can "work" full time, too.

Sorry about the long dissertation on dog numbers, but I'm in a talkative mood! Here's a couple of pictures of the baby kids - just because I like pictures!!

2. Lora wants to know if you find your dogs are better or worse with time off from training?

Tate really does the best if we work at least 4 or 5 days a week, by work I mean on stock, taking commands, being what he was made to do! If he doesn't, he gets to "sky bugging". (and then I am not a happy camper). We don't always accomplish that, but that is my goal.

Liesl really needs to work every day, but only in small segments. She is an extremely strong dog, and has been slow to train. One thing that I want to start doing with her is taking her when I go horseback, and just put some conditioning miles on her. One of our mottos when training (we've trained ranch horses for years) is that every young horse needs lots of "wet saddle blankets". Liesl needs to get tired before she wants to settle into working sheep correctly.

Bess, I try to work on sheep 3 days a week. I love to do other things with her every day, and she thrives on the attention. She's okay with time off, though, as she learns quickly and never forgets.

One thing I try to do, is change up things in my training program, so the sessions build on each other, but I try to keep it fresh to keep all of us interested. So sometimes, if I'm not "into it mentally" we do take time off.

3. What is your favorite power tool? What power tool do you wish you had?

I have three favorites:

I like to build rustic furniture from salvaged lumber, and I can build anything with these three tools!

I wish I had a lathe. I think I would like to learn to do more detailed work.


4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

A veterinarian. No doubt, I thought that is what I would be. But, got to college and walked on the Varsity Women's Basketball Team and played for four years (Colorado State University). So changed my major (twice) and ended up having a degree in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Physical Education and Biology.
But, I've always lived on a ranch and had animals, so I've "doctored" critters all my life. Hubby calls me "Dr. Doniene"!!! LOL

5. How many of your friends are not dog people?

About half and half. Some of my best friends are people that I have met trialing - we think alike!!! LOL

But I have other friends that don't get it so I don't talk dogs with them! But I have many diverse interests and have people that I consider friends in those other activities. i.e. quilters, ranchers, church friends etc. But if someone will listen, I WILL TALK about my dogs!!!

That's me on the right "talking" to a willing listener!! 

Really, she talked too as she has a young BC and we were sharing experiences!!

TMT #5 2012

1. Julie wants to know one frugal tip this week. 

Cook from scratch, and then freeze meals to warm up later. Now that it is just hubby and I at home (minus 4 kids) it works well for us and is healthier than quick, premade meals.

2. What are you reading this week? 

A set of "sappy" Christian love stories set in the 1880's by Diann Mills. It's mindless and wonderful!!

3. Barbara wants to know: do you hit the snooze button on the alarm clock and if so how many times?

 I used to be a notorious snooze button hitter!!!! Maybe up to an hour, grab the clock, hold it in you hand, hold it under the pillow and "muscle memory in the ole index finger" let me sleep a whole hour!!! The I conditioned myself to get out of bed, hit the off button, punch the coffee, and get up. Now, I sleep until I wake up - which is about 6:00 - 6:30, get up and get a cup of coffee (hubby has already punched the button - yeah) and start my day!

4. If you had to travel in a sedan (or if you already drive a sedan) and you have five or six dogs, how would you handle it? 

Get a window put in between the front seat and the back seat, put wire screens over the back windows, throw the dogs all in the back seat and drive down the back roads so no one could see me. !!!!!! But:

Bess would definitely want to ride shotgun!!!

Pete would want to hang his head out the window!!

Sonya would be incensed!!

Tate would be a perfect gentleman!!

And Liesl would refuse to ride inside!!

5. How much do you filter what you put on your own blog? 

Not sure how much I filter - I have three separate blogs and try to keep the topic on each confined to that area. I'm honest about where my weaknesses and strengths lie and am quick to show/tell my faults especially about my dog training/working. I enjoy the same in others blogs.

Have a Great Weekend !!

Friday Confessional

 Okay, this is Laura's fault - I decided to participate. So here goes!

I Confess - That when I first started blogging, I gauged my success on how many followers I had!! But when I got over that....well...

I Confess -  the friends I've made in blog land are amazing and I've enjoyed every minute of getting to know each and every one of you!

I Confess - keeping up with three blogs gets to me sometime, but hey I'm a person with many interests and don't want to bore one group with my thoughts on every subject.

I Confess - it use to hurt my feelings when my quilt blog friends didn't give a hoot about how great an out run Tate had!! and that my dog buddies thought I was nuts when I told them about winning some quilt blocks in a drawing!! Hence - separate blogs!!! 

I Confess - confession IS GOOD for my soul!! Thanks!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!   

TMT 2012 #4

1. How do you search for and choose a trainer? 

How do you define "trainer"? If a trainer is someone that you hire to train your animal for a specified time and then show it or assist you in showing it - I don't have one. If you define "trainer" as a professional that assists you in your training of your own animal - then I have several. I watch several open handlers and then grill them and ask them how I can improve. I go to their places and work with them. It works for me and my program.

2. The dog world is small and ...uh... talkative. How do handle situations where there is talking that is not beneficial. 

I walk away - that's life - people are always going to "talk" about things - and I choose to only participate in productive conversations that help me and others become better handlers.

3. Do you believe that a person's personal life should influence your choice of a trainer? 

If a person participates in an activity which affects their ability to assist me then I probably wouldn't ask them for assistance.

4.  When you have a breakthrough moment with your dog, do you feel that moment makes your connection with that dog stronger and the next step in training easier? 

You bet! Working Border Collies (any animal really) is about a relationship that grows each time you are together where both of you are learning to make each other the best you can be!

5. Do you stick with one trainer, or do you go to multiple sources for help? 

Answered in question #1.

Have a Great Week!!!!

TMT 2012 #3

Another wonderful session of TMT with Laura - and it is sure to be an exciting trip!!

1. What is one lesson you learned this week? 

It is okay to grow old!  Growing old! (especially if you have dogs!)


2. Who or what have might you been in an earlier life? What might you be in a next life? 

For the most part I've always been happy/content with who I am, and the time frame in which I live, so I've never really thought about it much. But I do think it would have been totally awesome to have been Margaret Thatcher! I would have made a great Prime Minister. Next life: Yo Yo Ma!

3. What unusual things do you like the smell of but don't usually admit?

I love the smell of dirt - farm land, garden, flower beds. I also like the smell of brussel sprouts - but that totally grosses out my family! Feed stores - love to go in the back where the feed is stored.

4.  What are your thoughts on continuing vs. retiring when a trial run is going badly? How do you decide? Where do you draw the line?  

Knowing your dog. Reading why the run is going badly - dog's fault, sheep's fault, handler's fault. Does the dog take a command and/or correction readily. The line for me is: when Tate is skybugging!!!!

5. Question and/or topics that I would like to discussed in this venue.

• Favorite season of the year and why
• One thing that you would totally redo (if you could) in regards to dog training
• One thing - not related to dogs - that you would like to do that you have not done
• One thing that you enjoyed doing in the past that you no longer participate in
• What is one thing about yourself that you know bugs other people - but you do it anyway
• 
  

TMT With Laura 2012 #2

  First of all I want to preface by saying I missed last week for a good reason. We made a round trip of about 200 miles to haul concrete water troughs for a job we are doing. We went on Thursday, but I thought, no big deal, I'll be home late afternoon and be able to get the first TMT with Laura done with no problem. But here's a couple of  pictures of how the trip went!  

Needless to say, TMT went out the window as it was dark thirty Thursday when we got home and then we spent all day Friday getting troughs unloaded, tires changed, troughs reloaded, hauled to the site, unloaded again. So by Friday evening, I just crashed and didn't do much of anything. 
But I'm ready to go for this week! Loved reading others responses last week.

1. Stopping your dog - What do you prefer? On their feet? On their belly? or some combination? 
Ideally I'd like a combination of both, but I've not achieved that in my noviceness. (I know that's not a word, but hey it works for me.) My first dog, Skeeter, was a natural down dog, when she stopped, she naturally laid down, so I trained my next dogs to lay down when I stopped them, and for the most part that works okay, but there are times that I want Tate to just Stop and Hold, so I'm working on a "stand" command, which is coming very slowly. I've watched some handlers, both live and on video, that use "Lie Down" to mean stop, but when I say "Lie Down" I want them to do so and stay there until I give them the next command. Now on an outrun, when I blow my "stop" whistle, I just want Tate to stop and turn in, not necessarily "lie down" - He does this very naturally, so we are good there.
2. At what point to you start teaching this? 
Another "noviceness" answer. When, I'm dry working pups, they must lie down when I tell them, but when I put them on stock, I won't make them lie down until they seem more confident and are listening and not just working because that's what they do. Totally depends on the situation. Like last night, Bess (who is nine months old) was doing chores with me. We went into the pen (60' x 80') where the milk cow and her calf were. Immediately, Bess went around and began to balance and fetch. She worked nice and wide and when she got to the back side, I asked her to lie down, which she did and then I poured the feed into the trough. Then, I went to Bess and we went out of the pen away from the cow. A great "teachable moment" for Bess, where she wasn't threatened or put in a stress situation, but was asked to obey, partner with me, and get a job done. The "Lie Down" command for me is "You better stop and take off the pressure", where as the "Stand" command would be "stop, but keep the "presence" on the stock". Ask me this question in a month, and I'll probably have a different answer!

3. Do you have a favorite dog? I won't tell. 
The one I'm working at the moment!!! But truthfully, I'd have to say Bess is my favorite, because she is such a happy dog ALL THE TIME and she loves me!! Ask me this question tomorrow and I'll give a different answer!
4. What is the #1 thing a dog can do to push your buttons? 
Not listen/not obey something that they know to do. I call it "sky bugging" - they are looking for bugs in the sky and not listening to me!
5.  Brrr....it's winter. What is your favorite soup recipe?  Next to chili (Laura already did that and my recipe is real close to hers) it would have to be   Chicken Corn Soup
About 2 cups of any type of cooked chicken and or turkey (more if you want it meatier)Chicken broth or stock1 small onion choppedsome chopped celery (desired amount)1 can cream style corn1 can cream of chicken soup1 can cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup
Saute onions and celery in butter. Add remaining ingredients and add water so it is not too dry. Simmer, until bubbly. 
Rivets:1 cup flour1 egga little salt1/4 tsp baking powder
Mix rivet ingredients with fork. (Might have to add a little milk, so the rivets "make")  Then pinch "thumb" size dumplings and drop in simmering soup. Let simmer for about 10 more minutes. 

Yum Yum!!
Have a Great Day!!